Canned Chili Sauce

Always have a great-tasting chili with deep flavour on hand with this Canned Chili Sauce recipe. Just add beans and simmer! But, that’s not all; heat the sauce and ladle it over a baked potato, or over fries topped with shredded cheese. So many possibilities when you have a pantry stocked with this sauce!

If I were placed into a matter of life or death situation, and if my saving grace was for me to answer to the question, “Can you name one person who does not like chili?” I would die. Chili is everywhere and everyone – especially the home cook – has a recipe that is tried, tested, and true. Trust me; people get really serious about their chili! The purpose of Canned Chili Sauce is to help make preparing chili even easier!

CHILI SHOULDN’T BE COMPLICATED

I’m a chili purist. If it’s too complicated, I won’t like it. I don’t care for a laundry list of ingredients. But, I do want a good tomato-based sauce, with lots of smokiness and spiciness, and a huge amount of beans. Yes, Dear Reader, I’m of the belief that chili does not need any meat to be amazing.

To get chili tasting its best, a long slow simmer is the way to go. But, come on! Who has the time anymore? I don’t have time to stand over a simmering pot of chili for hours on end. (As much as I would love that!) That’s why I like to use my Canned Chili Sauce.

The sauce is what makes the chili in the first place. As home cooks, we have very little control over what the beans will taste like. Sure, you can start with dried beans, but again, who has the time to do that every single time? I will use canned beans 99% of the time and I’m not the least ashamed of it.

IT’S ALL IN THE SAUCE

The sauce though – that’s where I get to control everything. And, yes, Dear Reader, I most certainly am a control freak. And I’m not the least ashamed of that either. This is where I get to simmer as long as I like, add as much seasoning and flavour as I like, and make the sauce as thick as I like… you get the idea!

So, once you get that sauce just right, why not can it for later use? Once you have your sauce already made, the beans (or meat!) are just additives. With Canned Chili Sauce, there’s no need to simmer all the live-long day. The work is already done for you.

And besides, the sauce is sitting in that jar for as long as you can make it last. Each of those ingredients is continuously marrying together, creating a more robust and flavourful sauce without any work on your part at all.

HOW TO WATER BATH CAN

STEP 1: PREPARING THE JARS

Some canners say that if you need to boil the jars longer than 10 minutes, then you don’t need to sterilize the jars. I say no! Canning is not as simple and cheap as frying an egg. It takes time, and an investment if you don’t already have the equipment. Eliminate any risk whatsoever by always sterilizing your jars. It’s easy to do and your Canned Chili Sauce will thank you! Wash the jars in hot, soapy water. Rinse the jars well under running water to get rid of any soap residue.

Transfer the jars to a large pot of water. Bring to a boil and boil for 2-3 minutes. Using a jar wrench/lifter, lift the jars out of the water, tilting to pour out the water. Be careful; it’s hot! Stand the jar up on a baking sheet. Once all of the jars are on the baking sheet, place them into your preheated oven at 200 degrees F. This will keep them hot and away from any contamination.

STEP 2: PREPARING THE SEALS AND RINGS

Mason jars are equipped with three parts. The first is the jar. The second and third parts combine to form the lid. The flat disc with the rubber ring on the bottom is the seal. Finally, the circular part that actually screws onto the jar is called a screw band. Depending on the brand or the recipe you’re reading, the names of these things can vary. But, they all do the same thing.

The screw bands never come in contact with the food, so they do not need to be washed or sterilized. But, because I want to eliminate any risk of contamination, I make sure they’re clean. After all, they have been sitting in a warehouse before they got to the store, and then finally, to me. That’s too many germs for my comfort level! I wash them in hot, soapy water, rinse them well, and transfer them to a bowl until I need them. The sealing disk/sealing ring needs a little more consideration.

If you look at the bottom of the lid, you will see a reddish-brown rubber ring. It’s attached to the lid. This ring has a huge job! It is pretty much in charge of keeping your food safe for long-term storage. Place the lids into a glass bowl. I like to separate them so that they are not all stacked. When I’m ready to ladle the food into the jars, I pour a kettle of boiling water over the lids so that they are sterile and the rubber band softens. That’s it. You have now prepared your jars. Next, we need to get the canner ready!

STEP 3: PREPARING THE CANNER

You can buy a canning pot, but you don’t have to do that. Any stock pot will do just fine. Be sure that the pot is tall enough to hold enough water so that your jars are covered by at least an inch of water. Fill the canning pot accordingly. Also, be sure to insert a canning rack or mat into the bottom of your pot. If you buy a canning pot it will come with one. Otherwise, you can buy them for any pot size. Never let your jars touch the bottom of the pot when boiling. They could easily break and your Canned Chili Sauce will be lost. Once you’ve done this, bring the water to a full boil.

In most cases, if you’re new to canning, you might notice some white residue on the jars after all is said and done. This can easily be cleaned off once the jars are cool. A few tablespoons of white vinegar in the boiling water helps to eliminate most of it. I use it every single time.

Lastly, it’s always a good idea to keep a kettle of boiling water close by. Depending on how many jars you need to process, you might have to boil them in batches. You will be surprised at how quickly rapidly boiling water can evaporate. Having a kettle of boiling water will allow you to easily top up the canning pot without altering the temperature of the water.

STEP 4: FILLING THE JARS

Depending on the recipe, filling the jars is quite easy. Having some inexpensive equipment on hand can make this process much easier. Invest in a canning funnel. It will help you ladle the food into the jars without making a mess. Remember to pay attention to the recipe’s recommended headspace. This is the amount of empty space from the top of the food to the very top of the jar. Also, it’s imperative to keep the rim of the jar clean to ensure a good seal. You will also need a bubble remover. You can buy these, but I’m not a fan of them. A clean wooden chopstick does the same thing. Removing bubbles will prevent mould from growing.

Lastly, you will need a magnetic lid lifter. Remember how I said the flat sealing lids will be submerged in a bowl of boiling water? Well, you can’t just pick them up with your hands. First of all, it’s hot! Secondly, you will want to eliminate the risk of any contamination. Do not touch the underside of the lid. Period! Using a magnetic lid lifter will allow you to pick up the lid and position it right onto the rim of the jar without ever touching it.

Finally, you will need to screw on the metal screw bands. In most cases, the food in the jars is scalding hot, so you can’t touch the jars to tighten the lids. But, that’s a good thing! You should never over-tighten the lids. Place the screw band over the jar and tighten it with one hand. It should be snug, not tight. Now, that’s it! You’re ready to boil these jars!

STEP 5: BOILING THE JARS OF FOOD

Carefully lift the jars of Canned Chili Sauce straight up using a jar wrench/lifter. Lower the jar into the pot of boiling water. Fill the canning pot with jars in this manner. Don’t jam the jars in; leave a little bit of space between the jars. I aim for about a centimetre or a finger’s width. Remember, you can process the jars in batches.

Once the canning pot is loaded, place a lid on the pot, and start your timer according to the recipe you are following. If the water is not at a full boil, do not start timing until it is! When the time is up, use the jar wrench to lift the jars straight up out of the water. Transfer the jars to a flat surface that has been lined with a few layers of kitchen towels. Allow the jars to fully cool – at least 24 hours! Finally, wipe the jars down, label them with contents and date, and store them in a cool, dark cupboard or pantry.

Some people remove the screw bands after the jars have cooled for 24 hours. I remove them just to check if there is a good seal. I put them back on once I’ve checked. It’s up to you if you want to leave them off. If you notice that a jar has not been sealed, you can either discard it or refrigerate it for immediate consumption. Only do so if you are 100% sure the food has not been compromised and that it is safe to eat.

MORE USES FOR CHILI SAUCE

Now, in the event that you or your family are not chili lovers, or maybe you only prepare chili once or twice a year, you might think that ten jars of chili sauce will be too much for you to have on hand. But, you’d be wrong, Dear Reader. There are just so many things you can do with this chili sauce!

You can use this chili sauce almost anywhere you can use any tomato-based condiment. One of my favourite things to do is to make Chili Cheese Fries. Prepare your fries, ladle over hot chili sauce, top with grated cheese and place under a broiler until the cheese is melted – so good!

It’s also great on burgers and hot dogs, baked potato, grilled cheese, or mixed with cream cheese for a spicy chili chip dip. For a great weeknight dinner option, heat up the chili sauce and combine with cooked macaroni. Transfer to a baking dish, top with grated cheese, and bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly. You’ll have a great Chili Pasta Bake for dinner.

Like most of my canning recipes, Canned Chili Sauce uses only the water bath canning method, which is extremely easy. For a complete list of my water bath canning recipes, please refer to my Preserves and Pickles section.

STORING CANNED CHILI SAUCE

Once you have safely removed the jars of processed Canned Chili Sauce from the canner, and they have cooled completely, it’s time to store them.

Storing properly is just as important as every step you take to ensure your efforts are safe and sterile. The first thing I like to do is wash the jars. Sometimes, the jars will be covered with a residue from the boiling process. This is normal and will depend on your water source. If I can in our city apartment, the jars are not too cloudy at all. But, at our home in the country where we use well water, the jars will have a chalky, white residue on the outside.

You can wash the jars under warm running water with a little bit of dish detergent. Dry the jars well with a clean towel. Next, it’s important to label them properly. Trust me – if you fall in love with canning, you’ll come to rely on labels. In the beginning, I could easily mistake a jar of canned tomatoes for a jar of salsa or a jar of sauce!

Your label should include the name of the recipe and the date you made it. Store the jars in a cool, dark place. You don’t need to push them all to the back of the corner in your unfinished basement! Any pantry or cabinet will do as long as it’s not directly above a heat source. I store mine in a built-in pantry under the stairs. Just keep them cool and away from direct light to prolong the shelf life.